My boys and I finished Getting Started with Spanish. I am doing Duolingo Spanish on my iPad. I should have my boys do it, too. I find myself able to progress very fast, but I don't remember all the words I am exposed to over time. If you use this for your kids, how do you make it stick? How do you pace it? Do you think it is a good language program?
I am also doing French for review. I am learning some German. I tried Italian and gave up; it is the hardest of all.
Thanks!

My oldest is using DuoLingo as part of her Spanish this year. It is helpful to her as a review (or to see new words), another way to hear the language, and as a challenge (because I'm on there too & she's trying to "catch" me). It isn't our sole resource.

RootAnn,
I see that you use GSWS and Duolingo. We just finished GSWS, and I have searched in vain for Breaking the Barrier Spanish for iPad use. I myself have been doing Duolingo Spanish and French.
How do you pace Duolingo and GSWS?
Also I see what yu use for dd01. It looks like a lot. How do you do all of that given that you have 4 other kids? You are great, Ann! Please share your wisdom.

RootAnn,
I see that you use GSWS and Duolingo. We just finished GSWS, and I have searched in vain for Breaking the Barrier Spanish for iPad use. I myself have been doing Duolingo Spanish and French.
How do you pace Duolingo and GSWS?
Also I see what yu use for dd01. It looks like a lot. How do you do all of that given that you have 4 other kids? You are great, Ann! Please share your wisdom.

Golly, I'm hardly one to emulate. There are many others with five (or 8 or more!) who do much better than I.

Dd#1 started GSWS two years ago. She got mid-way through because I was mingling other resources with it and we just didn't get finished. (Eldest is my guinea pig. Things don't always work out well.) I thought we'd try Spanish for Children A the next year. It bombed here - but I stuck with it most of the year. (I don't always learn my lesson quickly.) So, we're back to GSWS because I really like how it is laid out & how easy it is to progress through. BUT - I definitely wanted to add Duolingo as a supplement. DD#1 has two languages (and has for a few years now), so we have one as a focus each year. This year, it is Latin. So, Spanish is only three times per week (around 90 minutes total). She started out with more Duolingo (twice per week, 20 minutes each) and less GSWS (1-2 lessons depending on how quickly they went). We also work on flashcards of previously learned vocab during our memory time with a minimum of 10 minutes on Friday. As the year goes on, her GSWS lessons increase (to 3-4 / week) and her Duolingo time lessons to only once per week. (She likes it, so she tends to sneak in another one or two shorter sessions if she finds my computer unlocked.)

On the concept of how she gets all that done with the other kids -- I force her to work semi-independently. We meet every morning for memory (poems, any other memorization for subjects, flashcards and/or recitation for Latin/Spanish, and to answer her questions in Science/History or to start her off on her writing program). She has a checklist for the week -- and since that didn't go well by itself, she also has a "suggested schedule" she can choose to follow - or not.

The rest of the time, I work with dd#2, dd#3, and ds#1. Ds#1 is only in K, so his work doesn't take long. He plays with ds#2 a lot. Dd#2 & dd#3 take most of my time and they are mostly combined except for math & writing.

There are a LOT of spanish resources out there for grammar stage. I remembered a thread specifically on what-to-follow-GSWS-with and when I found it, you had started it. Irony!

A lot of Duolingo users also use an computer-based flashcard program like Anki and put the new vocabulary words and such in there to drill separately. I tried it for awhile, but since I'm just doing the Spanish program recreationally for myself, I gave up and just made sure to continue to use the vocabulary review feature in Duolingo.

A lot of Duolingo users also use an computer-based flashcard program like Anki and put the new vocabulary words and such in there to drill separately. I tried it for awhile, but since I'm just doing the Spanish program recreationally for myself, I gave up and just made sure to continue to use the vocabulary review feature in Duolingo.

Erica in OR

The "Practice Weakest Words" feature right in Duolingo uses the same kind of spaced repetition algorithm as a program like Anki. Seems a lot of extra work when it's built in already. It's not obvious that it exists, as you have to do some digging to find it, but it is there.

The "Practice Weakest Words" feature right in Duolingo uses the same kind of spaced repetition algorithm as a program like Anki. Seems a lot of extra work when it's built in already. It's not obvious that it exists, as you have to do some digging to find it, but it is there.

Even knowing it exists, I'm not finding it. I have tapped or swiped just about everything. Or is it just on the web site? Thanks

Even knowing it exists, I'm not finding it. I have tapped or swiped just about everything. Or is it just on the web site? Thanks

Yes - I explained how to get there in my post above.

Up on the black menu bar at the top, click "Vocabulary". This will show a list of every word you've ever learned in Duolingo, complete with the last time you practiced each and every word. Look to the right; there is a blue button that says "Practice Weakest Words" which will give you the words you haven't practiced the longest.

Right underneath the button it says this:

Spaced repetition

Duolingo’s algorithms figure out when you should practice words to get them into your long-term memory.

Up on the black menu bar at the top, click "Vocabulary". This will show a list of every word you've ever learned in Duolingo, complete with the last time you practiced each and every word. Look to the right; there is a blue button that says "Practice Weakest Words" which will give you the words you haven't practiced the longest.

Right underneath the button it says this:

Spaced repetition

Duolingo’s algorithms figure out when you should practice words to get them into your long-term memory.

But there isn't a black bar on the iPad app. I did find it on the web site, though. I guess it isn't in the app. Thank you.

My boys are doing the German for review. My boys find it easier to learn german using textbooks and accompanying workbooks than to learn through Duolingo. My older find it fun while my younger has cried a few times over being "knock out".

But there isn't a black bar on the iPad app. I did find it on the web site, though. I guess it isn't in the app. Thank you.

Ah, yes, I meant on the web site, sorry! I have had dd use the Android app at times when we were out and about, but she usually used the regular web version - there appears to be much more functionality and features there. The app (Android anyway, haven't seen the Apple version) seems to be just a subset of what's on the web proper.

We're using Duolingo together as a family to jump into Spanish. Each one of us has an account and we compete against each other for points and such. It has brought a very light-hearted, silly atmosphere to a rather intense, challenging school year. We're loving it and plan to do no formal Spanish until we're either finished with the Duolingo lessons or run into an issue that requires it before moving on. Having studied (and loved studying) French for many years, I'm familiar with formal study methods, but am finding this a perfect intro for us at the moment. It's catchy, it's fun, and it's something we're all doing together. It will hopefully continue cultivating a love for Spanish so that my boys will naturally want to continue when we do come to formal lessons.

As far as making it stick, I suggested to the boys to read EVERYthing aloud, whether it requires it or not, as it will help their pronunciation. I also suggested that they visualize objects for the words as they're reading aloud. They've improved greatly in the few days since the suggestions, so that's working for them. Also, I let them know that it's great to "redo" (review) the easy stuff as much as they want. When I can remember, I ask them for something we've learned, like "How would you say that you're eating an apple?" Or I'll wake them up with "Buenos dias," or tuck them in with "Buenas noches." For me, applying it to daily life is what works, but in small doses as we've only just begun, really.

This year my daughter is using Usborne Spanish (book) plus Duolingo plus StudySpanish.com (the free version ie she just does the quizzes). She has been doing Spanish at co op for a few years now so she isn't new to it.